There are several spots on the Tampa Bay Rays roster that the front office is going to be looking to shake things up this offseason. Catcher has already been mentioned several times, along with shortstop and the outfield.
One of the reasons that the outfield has been mentioned specifically by the president of baseball operations, Erik Neander, is that they are looking to address two things: power and run production.
There are a lot of options to choose from right now. A bit of a logjam has formed with Josh Lowe, Christopher Morel, Chandler Simpson, Jake Mangum and Jonny DeLuca all being in the mix.
One way to alleviate that logjam would be to make a trade. The Rays could use one of those outfielders to bring back players to address another area on the roster.
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Mangum is one player to keep an eye on because he was mentioned by Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic (subscription required) as a potential trade target for the New York Mets this winter.
Center field remains a huge hole for the National League East contenders. They tried to fill the void with Cedric Mullins ahead of the MLB trade deadline in July, but he struggled mightily and is now a free agent.
2025 was Mangum’s rookie year, and he showed a lot of promise. He had a .296/.330/.368 slash line with an OPS+ of 96. Power isn’t a big part of his game, with only three home runs, but he did record 18 doubles and one triple in 118 games and 428 plate appearances.
Despite being arguably the least disciplined hitter in the MLB with a chase rate of 43.7%, which is in the first percentile, he is an incredibly difficult player to strike out. His whiff rate (18.9%) and strikeout rate (15.0%) are both elite in the 81st and 84th percentiles.
Those contact skills Mangum possesses enable him to put his speed to great use. His Baserunning Run Value of +3 is in the 88th percentile. He stole 27 bases, getting caught only six times as a rookie, and his sprint speed of 29.1 mph is in the 91st percentile.
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His defense is also excellent. He has a Fielding Run Value of +4, which is in the 79th percentile, and +3 Defensive Runs Saved.
With Chandler Simpson also offering a dynamic skill set predicated on speed, there is a bit of overlap between him and Mangum. Tampa Bay decision makers believe both can be in a winning lineup, but if a team comes calling for one, they should certainly listen.
The Mets would make a lot of sense as a trade partner for the Rays. They have already engaged in trade talks recently, discussing a potential Yandy Diaz trade ahead of the deadline this past summer.
These front offices have some working relationship already from those talks. Mangum would be an affordable option for New York, years away from being arbitration-eligible. Despite the spending power of owner Steve Cohen, filling the roster with some rookie salaried players does make sense.
Also, the Mets have a young player on their roster, Ronny Mauricio, who should be of interest to Tampa Bay. The needs and current strengths of each roster look to match up, making them ideal offseason trade partners.